Can’t bake? Yes you can!
Great British Bake Off will soon be coming to an end for another year, but every year it ignites a mass passion for baking which, before it came along, just hadn’t been seen before. It has encouraged loads of people to take up baking and, in this world which can be a bit trying at times, having a cake to hand to share with loved ones is a wonderful thing.
But what if you don’t have the ‘kit’ for baking, or don’t know if baking is for you, or don’t have time to create wonderful flamboyant creations? Look, not every bake has to be a show stopper. Sometimes, you just want/need to eat it, not marvel at it’s aesthetic wonder!
Dr Oetker, sponsors of this year’s Bake Off, send me some of their new Bake in the Box loaf cake mixes.* I admit, I don’t normally use cake mixes. But they came not long after I was home from hospital and I was very incapable of baking anything complex. Or simple. Basically I was seriously kitchen incapable (still am a bit TBH). All you have to do is measure milk and mix it in the box. So you don’t need any loaf tins either, just milk and a spoon.
This is it- simple
I made the lemon & poppyseed and banana choc chip ones for family. Both were light and moist. I added Dr Oetker’s lemon drizzle * to the lemon loaf so it had a proper drizzle cake finish as well.
They cook in no time, cut in to 4-6 slices (depending on how generous you cut) and there is no washing up. So perfect to have in for unexpected guests.
I’ve not tried the double chocolate one yet. I am lucky that I still have lots of lovely friends visiting me, so next time they rock up and we need a brew and a cake, I will very likely be giving them some chocolate loaf cake.
You can go ahead and add your own ingredients (I may add cherries to the chocolate loaf, and the banana could always take some peacans) and decorate these cakes if you are making them with kids. But the point is, they are a good way to start baking if you aren’t a baker, if you can’t bake (if like me the hole in your head has temporarily made following new recipes tricky), or if you simply need a cake in a hurry.
And lets face it, sometimes we all need cake in a hurry!
*PR samples
